Why a key road to Capitol is closed

by Brian Zylstra | August 22nd, 2014

A sign directs drivers where to go while Sid Snyder Avenue is closed during a construction project.

If you’ve been to the Capitol Campus over the past week and noticed that the road is closed between the Legislative Building and Capitol Way, there’s a reason for it: A construction project is happening.

According to the Department of Enterprise Services, the work will repair substandard electrical ducts, aged water lines, and other deficient utilities. When complete, the project will deliver a newly paved roadway with new sidewalks, landscaping, drainage systems, and fully functional utility services. The project includes 16 new street trees to line both sides of Sid Snyder Avenue. Work is expected go continue through November.

Four trees on the south side of Sid Snyder Avenue will be removed as part of a larger project to repair and replace underground utility infrastructure, including 80-year-old water lines. The trees slated for removal include a purple-leaf beech, red oak, red maple and London plane tree. The trees are quite large and are not well suited to the limited space between the street and sidewalk. In addition, it appears the trees may suffer a fungal infestation, making it unlikely the trees could survive the construction project.

The state will plant 16 new street trees that will line both sides of the street. These trees will help create a formal corridor for the southern entrance to the west campus and the Legislative Building, as outlined in the original Olmsted Brothers campus landscape plan.

A view of the construction project from the southeast corner of the Legislative Building. (Photo courtesy of Patrick McDonald)

Workers clear branches and other debris after cutting down several trees along Sid Snyder Avenue as part of the construction project.

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